A Chance Meeting
by BackToBackInLoveWithYou
Summary: A TT and YJ crossover with a few OC's. No powers. When these characters have a chance meeting at the Gotham City Mall, how will things turn out? BBxRae RobinxOC WallyxArtemis CyxOC
1. Chapter 1

"Man, it sure is crowded in here!" exclaimed Victor as he sat with his friends at a table in the food court of the Gotham City Mall.

"You can say that again." said Gar, with an easy swig of his soda.

Gar ran a hand through his sandy blonde hair that was randomly striped with green. Across the table Victor was chowing down on his lunch with gusto and occasionally emitting strange gargling noises. A little farther down sat Dick and Wally. While Wally stuffed his face, though not as exuberantly as Victor, with food, Dick was trying to fix his ever ruffled hair in the reflection of his cellphone.

The boys were all very attractive, but in different ways. Wally was tall, red haired, green eyed, and well built. This boy was carefree and a sweetheart. Gar, on the other hand, was on the shorter side with wiry muscles and shockingly green eyes and a goofy smile. He was the prankster of the group, and a shameless flirt. Victor was tall and extremely muscular. His skin had a smooth, chocolaty complexion, and his eyes a warm brown. Often times Victor acted as the big brother of the group and was always eating something. Lastly, Dick was just above average height and devilishly handsome. His eyes shown bright blue behind his dark sunglasses and his jet black hair flopped boyishly onto his forehead; his smile was more of a smirk.

"Pass the mustard." commanded Wally as he elbowed Dick in the ribs.

"Cut it out!" he snapped playfully at his best friend. He still hadn't passed the mustard.

"C'mon dude, pass the mustard. This sandwich is dry!" Wally whined.

"Whatever." Dick said, tossing a few packets to his flame haired buddy.

"Hot damn!" Victor shouted. His eyes were in a fixed stare and food was slowly dripping off his bottom lip.

"God, did Vic eat another habanero pepper? I told him to shop shredding his guts like-" Wally began, but was cut off by Gar.

"No, dude. _Look._" Garfield said, a hungry look in his green eyes.

Dick and Wally followed their friends gazes until their eyes reached the target. Wally struggled to keep his jaw from dropping, and Dick kept crossing and uncrossing his legs.

There, across the food court, stood three breathtakingly beautiful young women.

The first was unconventional, but attractive none the less. She had amethyst eyes, a hard expression, and a pouty mouth. Her short, inky colored hair hung pin straight. She was of average height and wore dark clothing.

The next girl was tall and slim with long blonde hair she had held back in a high ponytail. Her lips were full and shell pink; her eyes were a crystal blue. She had a caring look about her.

The last of the three girls was petite, with a slim yet curvacious figure. Her hair was deep red with thick sides wept bangs and it fell in full waves down to her shoulders.

She smiled and revealed a set of white teeth. Her whole body seemed to light up when she smiled. The girl's eyed were dark blue and fringed with dark lashes.

The boys still sat, jaws agape. Their minds were buzzing with familiar, yet unfamiliar thoughts.

"I call the blonde!" shouted Wally.

"Yo, man, no fair! I saw the chicks first, so I should get first dibs." Vic said heatedly.

"We all know Dick has a thing for redheads." commented Gar with a sly grin and and received an irritated look from Dick.

Though it was a true fact that Dick indeed was attracted to redheads, he still didn't appreciate the commentary.

"Yeah, yeah, who cares." said Vic with a passive wave of his hand. His eyes were still fixed on the three girls.

"Well, I guess I'm stuck with the creepy one," said Gar, "though she is still pretty hot..."

"Forget the creepy one! Did you see the body on the blonde one! Though that redhead aint half bad..." exclaimed Wally, who received a whack on the head from Dick.

Gar also received a smack, which he began to rub with the palm.

"Listen to yourselves! Your acting like they are pieces of meat!" said Dick.

Wally had the nerve to look slightly ashamed, though he still kept sneaking looks in the direction of the girls.

"Eew, dude, you know I'm a vegetarian." Gar stated with a look of disgust.

"Fine," Dick said as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Then stop staring like they are a big plate of tofu."

Abashed, Garfield looked away. A slight blush crept into his cheeks.

***Girls POV***

The redhead, Kate, nudged the blonde, Artemis, with her elbow.

"Artemis, did you see those hawtays sitting at that table over there." Kate asked with a wink. Artemis ducked her head slightly, a smile playing at her lips.

"Please, you two are pathetic." said the Raven, the dark haired girl. She speared her salad with her fork.

"Shut it Raven, we caught you looking." Kate said mockingly.

Raven rolled her eyes and continued stabbing her salad. A rare smile graced her face

"Well, Artemis, that redhead over there has been scouting you out ever since we sat down. You think he is going to make a move?" Kate asked.

"Maybe," she shrugged, "Just as soon as the big one closes his mouth and the black haired boy stops giving you _the look._"

"The blonde one is kind of cute. In a moronic sort of way..." piped up Raven, through a mouth full of lettuce.

***boys POV***

"Hey, wait, that leaves no babes for me!" Cried Vic.

All his friends had called dibs and were planning out their ideas on how to approach the girls.

"You snooze you lose, buddy." replied Gar.

Victor grumbled angrily, and sulked in his chair. Meanwhile, Wally was working up the courage to go talk to the bodacious blonde across the room.

"Look! One's moving! Now could be our chance." Garfield said in a hushed tone.

At that moment, Artemis rose from her seat and strode over to the garbage cans. She dumped out her tray, but a half eaten apple fell to the floor and began to roll away.

In an instant , Wally, realizing his chance, left his seat and quickly made his way to where the apple lay.

"You drop this?" He asked the striking girl before him. A glowing smile lit his face and his eyes challenged hers.

"Yes, thanks." she said, almost dismissively. Artemis had meant for it to come out coy, not cold.

Wally's smile froze for a fraction of a second, but he trooped on.

"Here," he said and he tossed her the half apple. She caught it deftly in her hand. Wally winked at Artemis and she smiled back at him.

Behind them the girls were stifling excited giggles, and the boy were silently cheering their friend on.

"Artemis," she stated, extending her arm.

"Wally. Wally West." He said, shaking her hand.

"West? Hmm, interesting." Artemis mused.

"What?" Wally inquired.

"Oh, nothing." She shook her head slightly. Then she shot a quick glance at the girls still seated at the table.

Wally took a half step forward, but began to lose his footing. There was a slick spot on the floor and he started to fall forwards.

"Oh shi-" Wally called as he fell, accidentally bringing Artemis down with him.

"Oh!" She breathed in shock as she hit the floor.

During the fall, Wally ended up landing on top of Artemis as they lay on the food court floor.

"_you know," _Wally thought to himself, _" I always did picture myself on top."_

"Damn it, Wally." Victor said as he and the boys got up to go get their friend out of this mess.

"You know him, though. He can always find a way to mess stuff up" Gar replied.

Dick was going to protest on behalf of his friend, but thought better of it. Truth be told, Wally wasn't all to smooth with the ladies.

Across the room the girls stared in horror as Artemis toppled to the ground. But surprisingly they saw that she was _smiling._ Typically she had a strong temper, but it seemed she had a soft spot for this boy.

Kate eyes scanned the red haired boy. She had not yet seen his face clearly, but there seemed to be something familiar about him. Kate couldn't quite seem to put her finger on it.

Raven was busy snapping pictures of the two with her cellphone. No doubt she would use them as blackmail.

Then, the boys had shown up at the scene and were pulling Wally up off of the girl. They were both blushing strongly as they regained their footing. Kate and Raven walked up next; Kate put a protective hand on Artemis' shoulder.

"That was some spill you two took." Vic said, smirking.

"Haha, yeah," Wally muttered.

Artemis grinned a bit and waved to the three boys whom she had not yet met.

"I'm Artemis." she declared.

"Nice to meet ya." Vic said with a wink, but regretted it after reviving a punch to the kidney from Wally.

"I'm Vic. That little freak over there is Gar, and that's Dick. You've already met Wally."

"Pleasure meeting all of you. These are my friends Raven Roth and Kate West." Artemis said.

"Wait! Did you say Kate _West?_" Sputtered Wally.

"Holy Shit! Wally!" Kate cried. A look of recognition, confusion, disgust, horror, embarrassment, and fondness clouded her pretty face.

"You two know each other?" everyone asked in unison.

"Know each other? Hell, we're cousins!" Wally screeched.

Wally's mind was buzzing. He felt sick in his stomach. He had thought that his cousin, the girl that he grew up in diapers with, was hot. Wally felt dirty. Also, he felt a little stupid for not recognizing her sooner. Wait...Dick was crushing on his cousin. His cousin. His best friend...with his cousin. His cousin who used to practically be his sister. If Dick kissed her, it'd be like Dick kissing his sister. He thought he was going to pass out.

"Yo! Wally! Earth to Wally! You zoned out dude." Vic said right in his ear.

"I'm fine." he said with a weary shake of his head.

Meanwhile, Dick was staring at Kate. He shoved the thought of her being related to Wally to the back of his mind. His eyes searched her long legs, her luscious hip, her tiny midsection, her beautiful chest, her delicate neck, her lustrous hair, her stunning face... Every imperfection he found made her all the more perfect in his eyes. But she was related to Wally... Dick loved the way her snug jeans hugged her hips and legs and how perfectly her blouse fit. He couldn't like her...could he?

Kate, also had been exchanging glances with Dick. Her eyes slunk about his strong, flat muscled body, his sharp jawline, his enticing smirk, his straight nose, his crystal eyes. She wondered what it would feel like to have his arms around her and protect her...

_"mmmm, that boy."_ she thought, smitten, to herself. Did it really matter that he was Wally's best friend?

"Yo, Gar, break up their eye sex." Vic said to Gar with a glance in Dick and Kate's direction.

"Sure thing dude!" Gar replied excitedly.

Gar was just about to break them up when the dark haired beauty caught his eye. She was just standing there silently. Her heir fell in front of her pale face a bit as she looked up to meet his gaze. Gar felt like he was falling yet staying in one place. He was dazzled. Her milky white teeth, and her oh-so-mysterious eyes enveloped his senses.

As the scene stood: Gar and Raven staring blindly at each other, Kate and Dick having a silent conversation, and Artemis and Wally grinning like idiots.

Victor face-palmed and sighed. He was surrounded by idiotic star crossed lovers. And, to be quite frank, he was slightly jealous. He had seen the girls first, after all.

"Good comes to those who wait." muttered Vic to himself.

"Oh, look! Here comes Eliza." Artemis said.

Up walked a woman who literally took Victor's breath away. She had long, bountiful black hair, tanned skin, and a body that wouldn't quit. If they hadn't known better they would have sworn Nicole Scherzinger had just graced them with her presence.

"C'mon girls. We have to get home if we don't want to hit traffic." Eliza's voice sounded like wind chimes.

Eliza looked Vic once over and winked at him. He smiled brightly back at her.

_"I guess good thing do come to those who wait."_ he thought.

"That's too bad." Wally said. He threw a longing glance in Artemis' direction.

"It was nice too meet you. C'ya around I guess." Kate said. She was trying to be nonchalant, but she hadn't even convinced herself that she wanted to leave.

They all said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

Later that night at the house the boy's shared together, they sat crowded in the living room.

"Damn dude, you thought your cousin was hot! Not saying she isn't...but still." laughed Gar as he chugged a Red Bull.

"Shut. Up." Wally hissed menacingly.

"Point taken," Gar shrugged.

"But you did get right with Artemis." Vic said cheekily.

"Yeah..." Wally began, but then he got to thinking about her eyes...

"Don't forget Gar and his Gothic princess." sneered Dick from his seat on the edge of the couch.

"Oh, so you were actually paying to something other than Kate! In your mind you were all over her." Gar shot back.

"Um, guys, I'm sitting right here." Wally protested meekly.

"Suck it up Wally. You can't stop the game once it's started. And I've got my eyes set on that beauty Eliza..." Vic declared.

They boys soon retired for the night, only to dream of their certain someones.

The girls were all together in the bedroom of their shared house. They talked about this and that, until the topic settled on the escapades of the day.

"Raven, ohmigosh, I can't believe you hooked Gar!" Kate gushed. She lightly slapped Raven on the shoulder.

Rave sighed, "I didn't 'hook' him. We had a conversation, sort of." she said in a monotone.

Raven didn't bother to cover the blush in her cheeks, that grew as he friends giggles became more intense. She just snuggled more into her soft blankets.

"And you," Kate turned her attention to Artemis, "don't think I forgot about you and Wally."

"What about it?" she asked.

"He is my cousin. And the closest thing I had to a brother. Well, actually I do have a brother...but that isn't the point!

"Yeah, well, it's nothing serious, so drop it." Artemis managed to say. She knew what she felt wasn't nothing.

"He used to pee his pants. Until he was six years old." Kate blurted out.

The room was silent, then suddenly everyone burst into fits of laughter. After a minute of laughter, when everyone's eyes were streaming and their sides hurt, they managed to calm down.

"So, you and Dick, huh?" Eliza asked Kate easily.

Kate smiled wide, "Maybe. I want to see where it goes."

"That Victor boy was pretty cute..." Eliza said dreamily. In fact, she was quite taken with him.

By this time, Raven had fallen asleep and erupted into a peal of loud snores. The girls all giggled and climbed into their beds.

They closed their eyes and dreamed of those whose images still lingered in their minds.


	2. Chapter 2

"RAVEN!" Artemis screeched from her room

This could not be good.

Raven barely looked up from her morning cereal as Artemis stormed into the kitchen, phone clutched in hand. She was still wearing her forest green pajamas.

"What. Have. You. Done?" Artemis hissed through clenched teeth.

"I haven't the slightest inkling what you are stalking about." Raven said with a monotone voice and an_ almost_ blank face. Just a hint of a smirk betrayed her.

"Nice try. Now explain these!" Artemis growled, venom dripping from her words.

Artemis lifted her phone and flashed the screen to Raven. Depicted was a series of photos , each worse than the last. The first was Artemis and Wally, right before he slipped. Next was Wally, right when he began to lose his footing, a look of shock across his face. Then, the next picture showed Wally with his hands gripping Artemis' shoulders, their bodies falling to the floor. Lastly was the two of them together, on the ground, smiling and blushing furiously.

Raven didn't comment, she just let the smirk on her pale face grow. She pulled her midnight blue robe tighter around her body.

Artemis was seething as Kate and Eliza shuffled into the room.

"What's going on?" Kate asked through a thick yawn. She wore nothing but slippers, a sports bra, and boys basketball shorts.

"Yeah, we heard yelling." Eliza said. Her pink nightgown slipped slightly from her shoulder.

Eliza tended to be the peacemaker and den mother type when it came to the many disputes that came about in the household. Maybe it was because she was a few years older than the rest of the girls, or maybe she just hated conflict.

"What's going on? I'll tell you what's going on! Raven took pictures of what happened yesterday and sent them in a mass text! I wouldn't be surprised if they were already on the internet."

Everyone looked at Raven, who was wearing a quite smug look. Kate and Eliza checked their phones and both stiffed giggles.

" I cannot believe you two!" Artemis yelled. She stomped out of the room, down the hall and then slammed her door.

"Drama queen," Raven said before taking a bite of her cereal.

"Man, Gar, C'mon, give me the remote!" Vic protested as he tackled Gar on the couch.

"No way dude! All you do is watch shows about cars, or the hunting channel or how to cook meat, or-" Gar said, squirming underneath his gigantic friend.

"Give it to me!"

"No!"

"I said give it to me you little twerp!"

Wally sat at a bar stool in the kitchen, watching his friends bicker. Just then, Dick walked into the room, already showered and dressed.

"Hahaha, come watch Dick! It's better than cable." Wally called out, not taking his eyes off the squabble.

Dick pulled his fingers through his still damp hair, and he sighed.

"Ten bucks says Vic wins." Dick said.

"You're on!" Wally challenged.

Five minutes later the tussle had turned into a full out brawl. Gar was punching blindly and biting whatever he could get his mouth on. Victor was in a headlock and trying to maneuver out of it. Pillows were flying across the living room and Dick and Wally were cheering from the sidelines.

Vic made his way out of the headlock and continued to sit on Gar, crushing his body into the couch.

"Uncle! Uncle! Dude, I give up! Just get the hell off of me!" Gar choked out.

With a victorious chuckle Vic gathered the remote and scooted off of a very disheveled Garfield.

"Pay up." Dick whispered to Wally.

Later that night...

"Raven, it will be fun!" Eliza protested.

" A club is not exactly my scene." Raven muttered as she poured herself a cup of steaming herbal tea.

"Oh, loosen up. You need to get out of the house more." called Kate, who was sitting upside down in a chair.

Raven rolled her eyes and continued to stir her tea.

Artemis, still a tad sour, walked into the living room and sat on the end on the couch. She shifted her gaze from the room and out into the navy sky.

"Artemis, don't you think Raven needs to go clubbing with us?" Eliza asked.

"Hmmm," she relied, not really listening.

"What was that?" Kate asked, still upside down. Her face was flushed as all the blood was running to her head.

"Nothing. Yeah, um, sure." Artemis said, still not paying attention.

"Ooooh," Kate cooed, sitting up properly, "I know that look!"

"W-what look?" Artemis relied wearily.

"You are totally thinking about Wally!"

"Are you crazy? Of course not..."

"Don't try and fool the master." Kate teased.

"It's true. I can tell" Eliza commented.

"Okay, maybe I was." Artemis shyly admitted.

"Then we definitely need to go out. With you all revved up like this you are bout to party hard!" Eliza giggled.

"Hey!" Artemis said, embarrassed.

"We need all the girls if we are going out." Kate said, looking directly at Raven.

With a deep sigh, and a meaningful look at her tea she said, "If I go, will you stop bothering me. And know this is a one time thing?"

"Yes, of course!" Kate and Eliza chirped. Artemis merely smiled before looking out the window.

"We gotta get out of the house." complained Wally who was sitting upside down in a chair. (I guess it runs in the family, haha)

"Yeah! There is club downtown I heard about, it's supposed to be totally awesome!" Gar exclaimed.

"And how did a little nerd like you hear about a club?" Vic asked with a sneer.

"A little bird told me." replied Gar defiantly.

"Yo, Dick! You up for a night at the club?" hollered Victor.

Dick took the headphones off his ears and looked up.

"What?" he asked.

"You wana go clubbing with us tonight?" Vic asked again.

"Yeah, sure." he said before flipping the tv on to ESPN.

"Wait...oh, no, man! Tell me it aint so!" shouted Vic.

"What is it?" Wally asked.

"Dick, it's, he's...he's totally thinking about those chicks at the mall yesterday!"

"How can you tell?" Gar asked Vic.

"Because," he began slowly, "the big game is on and he isn't even paying attention! He's just staring at the screen like its golf!" Victor spat out the last word.

"What's wrong with thinking about the girls?" wondered Wally.

"Yeah," added Gar.

"You are all acting irrational! I had better get you all out of the house, and fast."

The girls had just shown up to the new club downtown. It was dark, and somewhat creepy, and had pulsing lights inside. The full bar was already crowded with wasted men and women and the dance floor shook to the blaring music. Scantily clad women danced provocatively and drunk men flirted with slurred words.

Raven wore a simple black cocktail dress that hugged her curves. She left her hair as usual, but she had heavily lined her eyes and wore strappy black heels.

Kate had loosely curled her red hair and wore a tight, strapless, plumb colored dress that fell just short of her fingertips. She wore gold heels her makeup was smokey and bronze.

Artemis opted for a forest green halter top that just barely flashed her midsection and a denim mini skirt. Her makeup was subtle and her full lips were glossy. She wore plain gladiator sandals that complimented her long, tan legs.

Lastly, Eliza wore a sequined, silver tube dress and sky-high stilettos. Her long hair spilled in waves down her back and her makeup was smudgy and black. Her bronze skin looked flawless and her smile was intoxicating.

The girls wasted no time enjoying themselves once they had arrived. They set themselves to dancing, though not drinking, and enjoying the beat of the music that seemed to reverberate through their bones. The flashing lights made them feel dizzy, but they didn't care. Even Raven, who would not admit it, was having a great time.

They had not noticed, however, who else had arrived at the club. Four young men were also in the club that night. One with messy black hair, dark jeans, and a button down shirt with the sleeves pushed up. Another with spiky blonde and green hair with cargo shorts and a rumpled t-shirt. One with hulking muscles, a tight tee, and dark wash jeans. And lastly, a boy with flaming red hair, a long sleeve shirt, and pants with many pockets.

The four of them were receiving many looks from women in the club, but the boys had no eyes for them. They all danced, and laughed, and partied long into the night.

Once or twice Dick thought he saw a flash of dark red hair or see a familiar smile, but he believed his mind to be playing tricks on him.

The night wore on and the girls grew tired. They longed for their beds, so they decided to go home for the night.

As they exited the club, the air was cold and the sky was black as pitch.

Artemis huddled into Kate's shoulder as they trudged through the dark ally way. Raven kept rubbing her bare arms and Eliza had removed her heels and was now carrying them in her hand.

The night was abnormally still. It was quiet. Too quiet...

Suddenly there was a rustling noise and the girls' breath caught in their throats.

Out of the shadows came a man with a grizzly face and a loaded gun, pointed straight at them.

"Make on move and I blow sweeties brains out." the man said. His voice was cold and rough, and he pointed his gun directly at Artemis' head.

"P-p-please..." Eliza began, but she stopped when the man glared at her.

"Now, lovelies, hand over your money and nobody gets hurt." the robber declared. His face wore a cruel grin.

The girls stood there, frozen. The man, getting annoyed, put his finger to the trigger.

Before anyone knew it, the man was face first on the ground. Kate stood above him, fist still clenched.

"Run!" she yelled.

All the girls bolted, but the robber had since gotten to his feet and was regaining his composure. Soon, he would be back.

Shots rang out, and wizzed right by the girls. The bullets slammed into nearby light posts and dumpsters. They screamed as loud as they could, hoping someone would hear them.

A bullet grazed Artemis' arm and she yelped in pain.

The girls had been cornered, they were at a dead end. The could, damp bricks of the ally pressed into their backs. The man took a step closer...

The boys too had exited the club. Three of them were walking to the car, and Dick to his motorcycle, when they heard screams.

"Dude, did you hear that?" asked Gar. His face looked concerned and frightened.

"Yeah, man, it sounded like some girls were screaming." Vic chimed in.

"They sounded scared." Added Wally.

"We had better take a look around." declared Dick. He straddled his motorcycle and zoomed off in the direction the screams came from.

Gar, Vic, and Wally followed suit in the car.

The girl's heartbeats were rapid, and their chests pounded. Their breath came out quick and shallow. They knew there was no way out.

"You had to make this hard." breathed the robber, his hand reaching up to his blooming black eye.

He aimed the gun at Kate's heart and she cringed back into the bricks. Tears welled in her eyes. She was about to die.

Just then the sound of a motorcycle roared through the ally. It skidded to a halt and the rider jumped off.

He threw his fist that connected with the man's jaw. The blow knocked the man over and Raven squeaked in fright.

Headlights shown down the ally and a car pulled into view. The men exited it and rushed over to the cowering girls.

"You!" everyone said as recognition set in.

"Are you alright?" Vic asked.

"Yeah," Raven replied, her eyes were still wide.

"That doesn't look alright." Wally said looking at Artemis.

Her arm had a shallow slash and a few trails of blood were dripping down her skin.

"It's nothing." she said.

Before Wally could protest, the was a scuffling noise behind them all. They turned to look and saw the criminal had gotten to his feet and was now wildly punching at Dick. Dick dodged the swings and landed a few of his own.

Kate slipped past the group and went towards the fight.

"Hey, get back here!" Gar commanded, but she didn't listen.

"Oh my god!" Yelled Eliza. She pointed her finger at shapes in the darkness.

Two more men arrived, they were both very burly, and they were definitely in cahoots with the previous attacker.

Artemis rushed at the men and managed to clock one in the head. He was momentarily stunned, but when he came-to he was furious.

Kate had approached where Dick and the man were still tangoing with their fists. They had backed up to the wall of the ally.

Kate was tired, but adrenaline surged through her body. She wanted this over with.

She breathed in deep and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she charged at the man. Kate delivered a roundhouse kick to his head and he dropped to the ground. She began to lose her footing so she flipped into a one handed cartwheel and then punched the man in his stomach with the whole force of her body. He was out cold.

Dick looked up at her, a look of shock and admiration on his face.

"Six years of martial arts and four of gymnastics." Kate shrugged.

Dick grinned and wiped a bit of sweat from his brow.

Across the ally Artemis was still in battle and Wally had joined her. In no time, the attacker was unconscious.

Raven, Vic, Gar, and Eliza worked together to bring down the biggest of the three. They barraged his ribcage with punches, and they fought with all they had. Raven delivered a kick to the back of his head and he fell. Just to be sure, Eliza lobbed one of her heels at the man's head.

"Oof!" he exclaimed before he finally slumped.

The eight of them stood, breathing heavily, and sweating. A few of the girl's dresses were torn and many were sporting cuts and bruises. Everyone was shaken and scared.

"Somebody had better call the cops." Vic said, glancing at the unconscious attackers.

"You all shouldn't go back home alone tonight. It isn't safe." Dick said, looking at the shaken girls.

"Yeah, come stay at our place. Just for the night." Gar offered.

The girls exchanged glances, but nodded in agreement. Raven, Eliza, and Artemis climbed into the car with Vic, Gar, and Wally. Kate and Dick mounted the motorcycle.

The girls in the car all huddled close to each other, and the boys. They were cold and afraid.

Kate wrapped her arms securely around Dick's strong body as they sped through the streets.

Eventually they made their way to a loft not to far away. Once inside, everyone began to settle down.

"Here, let me help you with that." Wally said softly to Artemis.

She was cleaning a dressing her wound. His hands replace hers, and his touch was gentle. In time she had fallen sound asleep in the easy chair, and her face looked peaceful. Wally sat on the arm of the chair and softly petted her hair.

On one end of the couch Gar sat, asleep, with Raven's sleeping head in his lap. Farther down on the couch sat Dick who was still awake. Kate was snuggled up on his chest, her arms around his shoulders, and her head nuzzled into the crook of his neck.

Dick and Wally exchanged meaningful glances.

Vic sat on the floor, and gently placed a planked over the sleeping Eliza. She was sprawled out on the carpet, and Victor feared to move her.

The night went on and soon the occupants of the loft were sound asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Warm, buttery, morning light glowed through the blinds of the loft. The group had begun to stir, though not fully awaken.

Then, Artemis opened her eyes. A warm, content feeling washed over her entire body. She couldn't tell what it was, but she liked it.

That is when she noticed that she wasn't in her room. She wasn't laying in her bed. And, moreover, she wasn't alone.

She shifted her bleary eyes and came upon a handsome, sleeping redhead boy. He and she were squished together in a plush lounge chair, his arms wrapped around her waist, and her head on his chest.

Artemis was about to freak out and scream, but then the events of the previous night inundated her mind. She felt slightly woozy, but ignored the feeling.

She gave another look to Wally, a smile creeping onto her face, and went back to sleep in his arms.

Next, Kate turned slightly on the couch and sighed. What a strange dream she had been having. There was a club, and a bad guy, familiar faces, and strong, protective arms around her. Wait...

She felt her face against the soft material of a shirt. Kate breathed in heavily through her nose and smelled a deep, almost woodsy scent. It was warm and inviting and it lingered in her nose. She looked up and found her lips were just inches from Dick's jaw. Her body was molded to his, and she liked how his hand held the small of her back.

She looked up once more and saw that Dick was peering down at her. His thumb rubbed her back and she nuzzled closer to him. Dick grinned smugly to himself.

In an instant, before Kate knew what she was doing, she lightly pressed her lips to the edge of Dick's jaw. She blushed and pulled away. Dick had never been any happier.

Vic breathed in and out, slowly, and evenly. He pulled his muscular arms behind his head then glanced around the room. The floor was hard, but he didn't care. He was sore, but he didn't care. Nothing could dampen his convivial mood.

A dark haired beauty stretched slightly at his side. She rolled over and smiled in her sleep. Victor sighed in contentment.

All was still, and all was calm. Then Raven opened her eyes...

"AAAHHH!" She screamed before clamping a hand over her mouth.

In fright she had rocketed off the couch and landed on the floor with a thud.

The entire room seemed to jump at her shriek.

"What happened?" Wally asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"I, but he, but you, what the-, um..." Raven stuttered. She was never at a loss for words.

"Planning on finishing any of those sentences?" teased Artemis, who earned a scowl from Raven.

"It's nothing. I overreacted because I'm not used to waking up in someone elses house with a bunch of strange people." she huffed.

"She has obviously never been to Cancun." Victor whispered to himself.

Raven stood from her spot on the floor and stalked off into the kitchen.

"It's about time we all got up anyway." said Dick, though he was reluctant to get up.

Eliza stretched and went to sit at a bar stool and Artemis left for the bathroom. Wally flipped on the television, Gar went to change clothes, Victor began breakfast, and Dick remained on the couch with Kate.

Kate looked down at her dress and saw that there was a long rip down the side. She couldn't possibly go out in public wearing this.

Dick followed her troubled gaze and saw her torn dress. The gash exposed the pale white skin of her side.

"Come with me," Dick said kindly as he took her hand and lead her to his room.

She sat on the edge of his bed and he rummaged through his closet. When he came out he held a large, crisp button down shirt out to her.

She took it gratefully, but then blushed and looked away.

"What?" asked a smirking Dick.

"Turn around." Kate commanded with a twirl of her finger.

Dick turned, smiling, and waited. He tried, unsuccessfully, not to sneak peeks at her in the reflection in the window.

When she had finished changing, Dick turned around. She wore nothing but his shirt , that reached down just long enough, with the first few top buttons undone.

He tore his eyes from her and they exited the room.

The entire loft smelled of pancakes as they sat down to eat.

"Are you all going to be alright to get home by yourselves?" asked Gar.

"Yeah, I'll call a cab." Eliza replied.

Raven ate in silence.

Wally was pouring syrup all over his pancakes, practically making them swim, and Artemis watched in horror.

"Isn't that a bit...excessive?" she said.

"Not for Wally." Gar commented.

"Yeah, this is him on a good day! Man, he eats the most outrageous stuff." Vic added.

"Like nachos and pineapple juice. Or spicy Cheetos dipped in melted cheese." Gar continued.

"Hey! Don't knock it 'till you try it." Wally defended himself.

Late morning turned to early afternoon and the girls had called for a cab. Goodbyes were said and phone numbers were exchanged.

Just before the girls climbed into the cab, Kate couldn't help over hear a small conversation between Dick and Gar.

"Dude, is that _lip gloss_ on your chin?" Gar asked.

Dick put a hand to his jaw and felt the spot where Kate had placed her lips earlier that morning.

"No, it must just be syrup or something." Dick replied with a shrug.

As the cab sped down the long Gotham City roads, each girl was caught up in their own thoughts.

Artemis kept picturing Wally's serene sleeping face, and how he lit up when he smiled.

Raven was thinking about going home, making tea, and changing her clothes.

Kate kept pulling the collar of her borrowed shirt up to her nose and inhaling deeply. She loved his smell...

Eliza remembered Vic's muscular arms and how good those pancakes were.

That whole day everyone went about their business as usual, though none of them knew that their lives would never be the same.


	4. Chapter 4

A few weeks had passed since the girls stayed at the loft. Nary a text or call had been exchanged, though many were tempted. All seemed to be moving on with their lives, however reluctantly to leave the past.

It was close to three in the morning when Dick got the call.

He lay in bed asleep, curled in his sheets. Then his phone began to buzz next to him.

With a moan he rolled over and snatched up he device. He didn't bother to look at the calling number, but just picked it up.

"Yeah?" he said, his voice thick from sleep.

There was weak, ragged breathing on the other line. It sounded like someone was sobbing.

"D-d-dic-ck." Kate's voice choked out.

"Hey, what's wrong? Is everything alright?" he asked, sitting bolt upright at the sound of her.

"No..." She managed before lapsing back into panicked tears.

"Tell me what happened, so I can help you. I'll do whatever it takes." he said, and he meant it.

"Those..those thugs f-from before. Th-th-ey b-brought friends. The f-found us." her voice sounded strangled, like she was trying to hold in tears that needed to come out.

Before he could reply, he hear her swallow hard, and she began to speak again.

"They broke in, and trashed the place. O-our stuff, they broke and stole it! And-" she halted.

"And what?" he asked, his voice growing nervous.

"Some of us got hurt pretty bad." She whispered.

"Tell me where you are. I'll be there as fast as I can. We all will."

She sniffled, "Thank you. I, we, didn't know who else to call.

Kate gave him their address and Dick pulled on a shirt and headed out of his room.

He flicked on the lights in the loft as he went. Then he pounded on each of the occupants doors, who reluctantly made their way into the living room.

"What's this all about? I'm trying to sleep off my midnight snack." Wally complained.

All the others muttered their agreement to Wally, but Dick wasn't listening. He just grabbed his motorcycle helmet and headed to the door.

"Goons, girls, trouble, follow me." is all he said before slipping out into the frigid, ebony night.

There was no moon over Gotham that night, nor were there any stars.

Dick sped through the streets with his friends following close behind in the car.

They pulled up in front of a large apartment complex. Police cars scattered the street along with shattered glass. Police tape was strung around a broken window on one of the upper floors.

Four young women were seated outside, wrapped in thick, woolen blankets. Cops stood around them, bringing as much comfort as they could.

Artemis looked up and saw the approaching men. She elbowed Kate in the arm, who winced in pain, before looking up.

When Kate locked eyes with them fresh tears began to stream from her sore eyes.

Dick, along with his friends, were appalled at the state the girls were in.

Artemis had a slash on her cheekbone and her lip was bleeding. Raven, the worst of the four, was covered in bruises, cuts, and the left side of her face was oddly swollen. Kate had a deep purple shadow under one of her eyes and her neck, shoulders, and arms were painted with blotchy bruises. Eliza's hair was wild around her face. She only suffered from a few small cuts, but she jumped at small noises or movements.

Artemis was murmuring softly to Raven. She was telling her it would all be fine, but she was more or less trying to convince herself.

Kate rose from the ground, her face momentarily contorted in pain, before she ran into Dick's arms. And I mean _ran_.

She was wearing the shirt he gave her, and truthfully she wore it every night since she got it.

"Shh." he said calmly, patting her hair down as she cried.

Wally walked over to where Artemis sat, and he sat too. He put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

Vic was trying to calm down Eliza, and Gar was trying to think of what to say to Raven. She always seemed to confident, so sure, and to see her crumbling to pieces like this was unnerving.

"Hey, Raven." he said in a meek voice.

She looked up at him with watery eyes.

"You, um...you want to hear a joke?" he asked. She didn't respond so he proceeded.

"So, you know Raven, I went to this sea food disco the other night. But I didn't have much fun because I pulled a mussel! Get it? Mussel, like muscle, and mussel like seafood." he babbled on.

Raven didn't mock him, she didn't say a word, but she silently hugged him. A proud grin spread across Gar's face.

The police were finishing up with their report and were putting a call into the station to be on the look out. Soon the police would be gone.

"Will you be alright, miss?" A kind looking woman police officer asked Kate.

Kate nodded, and the woman made her was back to the squad car.

"We had better take you home. Then we can get you guy's all cleaned up and you can tell me what happened." Dick whispered.

Back at the loft everyone sat with a steaming cup of coffee. Cuts were treated and nerves were calmed.

"So, you wana tell us what happened?" Victor asked to no one in particular.

"We were asleep," Artemis began, looking around, " and there was this strange pounding noise."

All eyes were on her, and she continued.

"I guess we all thought is was the neighbors having a party. Or maybe some dumb kids. But then there was a shattering noise, and we heard Eliza scream. Someone, or I guess more than one, broke in.

"We're lucky Eliza wasn't hurt. Just some cuts from the broken glass, and she was a little shaken up. We all ran out of our rooms to see what was the matter. And there were five, huge men. It was too dark to see their faces clearly. We had no idea how they found us, but they must have know the muggers we all got locked up.

"Raven was brave, she walked up to them and was going to call the cops. But they had other ideas. They-they threw her across the room. She hit the glass door, her head hit it. The glass broke and she was unconscious.

"I ran over to try and help her, but they got me. One of them kicked my face." Artemis paused to reach up and gently touch the marks on her cheek. Then she continued.

"So, I decided not to get up. To pretend I was hurt worse than I was so that they would leave me alone. But I felt horrible, leaving Kate scared and alone. She thought she was the only one left. Three of them went after her...I could hear her screaming. The other two went around our home and took what was valuable and broke what wasn't.

"That's when Eliza ran in. She yelled that she had called the cops and no sooner that red and blue lights were coming down the street. The three men dropped Kate, and she fell to the floor shivering. They had all been grabbing her, one of the hit her, they were telling her all of the terrible things they were going to do to her.

"I felt like the worst friend ever, but I knew I couldn't leave Raven. The men had all run out, and then next thing I knew the police were asking us questions and Kate had called you all here.

"Now here we are, drinking coffee, with all that is left of our belongings in duffel bags in the corner." Artemis finished.

The entire room was silent. Everyone's faces were solemn. Wally was the first to break the quiet.

"That..._horrible._ But I think I speak for everyone when I say that you girls are going to stay here as long as it takes."

Gar, Dick, and Vic all hastily agreed. They didn't want to see any more harm come to these girls.

Ordinarily Kate, Artemis, Raven, and Eliza would have talked it over. It's a big deal to essentially move in with people you hardly knew. Then again, after all they had been through, they felt as though they were reunited childhood friends.

Raven spoke for the first time that night. Her voice sounded wary and hoarse.

"Yes," was all she said.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys, here is a long chapter! I really like it personally. It might get a little lost in the middle but a really sweet spitfire scene at the end makes up for it. Enjoy!**

In no time at all everyone at the loft was settled. The fright from the robbery had begun to fade, though the police were still hunting for the crooks.

The sleeping arrangements were as such: Wally slept in the plush reclining chair, Dick on the couch, Vic on an air mattress, and Gar in his own room. He would have given it up like the others had, but it was unsuitable for life. How he managed to was still a mystery. Artemis took Wally's room, Eliza to Victor's, and Kate to Dick's. All had offered to share with Raven, but she refused. So raven took the rather cramped guest room.

Everyone had fallen into a very comfortable rhythm. Kate and Dick were often discussing music, technology, or watching the sports channel together. Victor took the liberty of cooking the majority of the meals in the house. Eliza could be found primping or sneaking sly looks at Vic when she thought no one was paying attention. Gar entertained himself with hours of video games or throwing a ball at the wall and letting it roll back to him. Wally and Artemis bickered back and forth, but once or twice they had been caught holding hands under the dinner table. Raven stayed in her room most days, reading, or just enjoying being alone.

No one was sure how long this would last. Truthfully, it hadn't been though of. However, there had been a few nights where Vic was absent from his air mattress...

One night it was storming heavily outside. The wind was roaring and the rain was falling at a dangerous slant. Every person in the loft had congregated into the living room; they were all sitting in a circle on the floor.

The storm had knocked out the cable, and the roads were too slick to drive on.

"Duuuuuddde," whined Gar, "I'm so bored!"

"Yeah, there's nothing to do." agreed Wally who was emptying a bag of chips into his mouth.

"We should have a game night!" squealed an excited Eliza.

"That could be fun." Dick commented. He instinctively looked at Kate to make sure she was happy. It was a habit he had picked up since the night of the break in.

"What kind of games?" asked Raven in a wary tone.

"We could play truth or dare, or skin the bottle." Gar said with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

"No." she said in a flat voice.

Raven got up to leave, Artemis took her wrist and gently pulled her back the her seat.

"I think we should have a scavenger hunt." Artemis offered.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but in case you hadn't noticed, its pouring cats and dogs outside!" Wally retorted.

"We can play it inside genius! This place is big enough. We each write down something, a clue, to what should be found. That way its open to interpretation and everyone can find something." Artemis retorted.

Wally grumbled under his breath and the rest of the group happily accepted Artemis' idea.

A few minutes later everyone was writing down a clue on a small slip of paper and then placing it inside of a baseball cap.

Victor jumbled the scraps of paper around and everyone took one.

They all stood around reading their pieces of paper, trying to come up with what to find.

"We all have thirty minutes to get an item and meet back here. Ready...Set...Go!" Artemis declared.

Each person sped off in a different direction.

***Wally***

"Aw man, what the hell am I supposed to do with this?" he whined to himself.

His slip of paper read: _black and blue_

Wally wandered around the loft searching for anything black or blue.

_"I could get black and blue clothes...no that's too simple."_ he thought.

Wally wandered down a hallway, scanning the walls, floor, and ceiling.

_"What about makeup? One of the girls is bound to have black and blue makeup."_

He rounded the corner, approaching the kitchen. Wally was about to walk right into a bedroom and get the makeup, but his stomach rumbled.

"All this thinking's made me hungry! And a boy's gotta eat." he said as he pat his tummy.

Wally opened the fridge and pulled out random bits of food, proceeding to stuff his face.

Half way through a stick of salami Wally had the most brilliant idea for the scavenger hunt...

***Eliza***

"What to do, what to do..." she muttered as she sashayed down the hall.

Her slip said: _not what you think it is_

Eliza had no idea what that could mean.

_"Like a sock puppet? It looks like a sock...but it's a puppet. No, that's a stupid __idea."_

She walked past the kitchen where she saw Wally shoveling down food like it was his job.

Then she was struck with a genius idea...

***Kate***

Kate had been walking, searching, but had nothing to prove of it. She leaned up against a wall, and slowly slid down until she was sitting on the floor.

"C'mon, you can do this." she pep-talked herself.

Her paper had said: _something rare_

_"What in the world is rare in an ordinary house?" _she wondered.

Kate stood, shook her head, and continued down the hallway. She passed by room after room.

She was just passing Gar's room, and her eyes started to water and her nose began to burn. The smell was that pungent. She had no idea how he didn't smell bad.

Kate stopped dead in her tracks and turned towards the door. This was a crazy idea. A crazy impossible idea. But it just might work.

She took a deep breath a reached for the door knob.

_"This had better be worth it." _she though.

***Raven***

"This whole game is pointless." Raven muttered to herself in a deadpan voice.

Her clue was: _something ugly_

_"There are many ways I could go with this."_ thought Raven.

_"I could get a mirror and show Gar his reflection," _she thought with a smirk.

"_But I don't think he is ugly...he is actually pretty cute. Not that I'd tell him that, though."_

She had been standing in the living room having a conversation with herself for quite some time.

Raven sighed inwardly. Then an intriguing thought entered her devious little mind.

Like a flash, Raven sped off towards Vic's room...

***Dick***

Dick had been thinking long and hard about his clue. He knew exactly what he wanted to do, but he wasn't sure if he should.

His second guessing made him nervous.

_"Maybe I should just do something else..." _he thought to himself.

"_No, I'm going to do it."_

Dick looked down at his "_something stolen" _ slip of paper, and nodded.

He looked up with determined eyes.

***Vic***

"Aww, man, dude. This bites!" he muttered to the air.

He looked out the window and the storm was still holding strong. There was no sign of relenting.

"What would coach tell me to do?" Victor wondered out loud.

He thought back to his high school football coach.

_"Vic, suck it up and be a man! Do whatever it takes! Get out there and do what needs to be done!"_ shouted and angry voice in his mind.

_"Yes sir!"_ he replied to the voice in his head.

Victor's paper said: _bitter-sweet_

He wandered to the living room where he began to search...

***Artemis***

Artemis was sitting on her bed, well actually it was Wally's bed, and thinking deeply.

This whole game had been her idea, so why couldn't she think of something? She was clever, she was smart, intuitive, and quick on her feet. This shouldn't have been a daunting task.

She couldn't show her face with no prize from the hunt, especially not to Wally. He would never let her live it down.

Her clue: _It's a secret._

_ "What in the world is 'it's a secret' supposed to mean? Whoever thought of this one, I hate you now."_ Artemis thought.

What was a secret? It wouldn't be much of a hunt if she revealed one of her own, but she didn't want to offend anyone by revealing one of theirs.

Not much time was left remaining. Artemis would just have to give up...

***Gar***

_"Oh dear God...I-I-I can't! It's wrong! She'd kill me. But it is only a game." _Gar thought, standing in front of Raven's bedroom door.

Only a few minutes were left before time ran out. He would have to act fast.

Gar swallowed hard, and took a step through the door.

_"Well Life, nice knowin' ya."_

_ ***Back in the living room*** _

"Everyone ready?" asked Vic.

The group nodded, though not all very enthusiastically. Everyone held their prize behind their backs.

"Yo, Wall Man, you're up first." Vic said with a jerk of his chin.

"Prepare to be amazed by the fant-" he began.

"Just get on with it." Raven interjected.

"Fine, be that way! Anywho, my clue was _black and blue_, sooo..." he said reaching behind his back.

The group all wore repulsed faces and were holding back vomit.

"Wally, what the hell is that? No, don't get any closer with it!" Vic shouted.

In Wall'y hands he held a plate filled with fuzzy black and blue mush.

"I found it in the back of the fridge. I think it used to be some kind of bun or something before it molded over." he said proudly.

"Dude, get that out of the house! It's so gross! Grosser than my room, even!" Gar yelled.

"You just don't understand creativity when you see it." Wally huffed.

He then walked across the room, and flung the molded carcass out into the storm.

"Alright, after that interesting uh...thing, you're up Eliza." Vic said.

With a nod she stepped forward and grabbed Wally by the arm.

"I had to find something that wasn't what it looks like. So, here is Wally!" she said with a grin.

"I don't understand." Kate stated.

"It's simple really. Wally _looks_ like a boy, but he is _really_ an eating machine!"

"Oh, I see!" Gar applauded

"Kate, you're up." Vic declared.

"My task was to find something rare. And I'm stressing the rare part, here." she said.

From behind her back she withdrew a single sock.

"A sock?" Eliza asked dubiously.

Kate shook her head, "Not just any sock. A clean sock. From Gar's room!"

There was an intake of breath, everyone stared.

"Damn...that is rare." said Vic.

"Yeah, I didn't even know it existed!" Gar added.

"I can't believe you made it out of there alive. Few full grown men can. Good job!" Wally said, clapping Kate on the shoulder.

Standing side by side you could see a striking family resemblance.

"My turn." Raven spoke up.

They all turned and waited expectantly.

"I had to find something ugly." Raven said with a smirk.

She revealed a humungous, and incredibly ugly Christmas sweater. It was thickly knit, red and white yarn adorned with puffballs, twinkle lights, fir trees, and reindeer.

Dick clapped a hand over his mouth in an attempt to smother the gales of laughter trying to pour out of him. Gar was literally rolling on the floor laughing. Wally was biting him lip dangerously hard trying to suppress his own chuckles. Vic was blushing furiously under his dark complexion.

Raven stood smugly, and Kate, Eliza, and Artemis all stood shaking with giggles.

"Hahaha, who- whose is _that?_" called out Gar in between bouts of laughter.

"It's my grandma's. She, she, uh, gave it to me while she was moving and forgot to take it back." lied Vic.

"Your grammie must be one big lady." Gar commented. Victor harrumphed.

"Dick, I think it's your turn." Gar said.

"Oh," was all he replied.

Dick turned to Kate, who looked back at him with questioning eyes.

He put a hand on the edge of her jaw and, ever so gently, pulled his face to hers.

The kiss was short, chaste, but beautifully sweet.

He drew back from the kiss, and she stood dazed and blinking.

Dick turned back to the stunned group, Wally mildly disgusted.

"Um...?" Raven said with an arched eyebrow.

"My card said _something stolen_. So I stole a kiss." Dick said with a wink at Kate.

She blushed madly and let her hair fall in her face.

"How poetic." Artemis mused.

"Enough with all the mushy stuff!" Gar said, exasperated.

"I guess I'm up." Vic said.

"My task was _bitter-sweet_." Vic said, exposing a DVD case.

"Is that _The Notebook_? Dude, I love that movie! Its so...uh, I mean, that movie is lame. Like I said, no more mushy stuff." Gar floundered.

"Whatever, Gar, you go." Vic said.

Gar mumbled and his cheeks were stained red.

"I had to find something that nobody should ever find." Gar gulped.

He closed his eyes and pulled a lacy, black bra out from behind his back.

The air, and time itself seemed to freeze. Then, a furious scream, more like a growl, erupted from none other than Raven.

"You. Went. Through. My. Things. You. Will. Die." Raven hissed. Her eyes were fiery and her body had the posture of an animal stalking its prey.

"Raven, c'mon, it's a game!" Gar defended.

"I'll give you a ten second head start. One. Two. Ten!" She called.

"Eeeeeeeekkk!" was all that could be heard, as a blur of green hair bolted from the room.

Raven chased after him, and everyone stood wide-eyed.

Trying to recover from the shock, Vic said, "Artemis, I think you are the only one left."

"_I was afraid of that." _she thought.

"I was supposed to find something secret, but..." she began.

"But what?" Eliza asked.

"I couldn't find anything." Artemis said weakly.

"I bet you could." Wally urged.

"No, I couldn't." she insisted.

"You could just tell us a secret then." Wally replied.

Artemis closed her eyes and sighed. There was something she wanted to get off her chest. But this isn't how she wanted to do it.

She opened her bright blue eyes and met them with dazzlingly green ones.

"I like you, Wally. A lot." she said.

Wally stared back, dumbfounded.

Artemis clasped a hand over her mouth and shook her head from side to side. She ran.

Yet another time in that same evening everyone stood in a surprised silence.

Wally blinked a few times before dashing off to find Artemis.

That left Dick, Vic, and Kate, alone in the living room.

"I've had enough excitement for one night. Make sure Raven doesn't kick Gar's ass too bad. C'ya in the morning yall." Vic said as he settled into his air mattress.

Kate looked up at Dick and pecked him on the cheek before skipping off to bed.

Dick made his way to the couch where he fell into a quick and easy slumber.

***in Wally's room***

Artemis lay face first on the bed, a few tears making dark spots on the comforter.

A knock came at the door, but she ignored it. She knew who it was, and she knew he was going to enter anyway.

Sure enough Artemis felt a pressure on the bed as Wally sat down.

"Hey," he murmured.

She didn't reply.

"What you said back there, that took guts."

Artemis propped herself up on her elbow and looked at Wally. His face was earnest, soft, and caring. He rested a hand on her shoulder. His hand felt warm, and she liked it.

"And guess what. I like you too. A lot." Wally said with a smile.

Artemis' eyes grew wide, and her mouth spread into a breathtaking grin. It was filled with so much happiness and affection you couldn't help but feel the emotions radiating from it.

Artemis threw her arms around Wally's neck and he put his around her back. They embraced for a moment before breaking apart.

"So, Artemis, do you, um, want to maybe-" he began.

"Yes." she interrupted.

He put a hand gently on her cheek and she put hers on his shoulder. That moment they shared right then, was sweeter, and more passionate than any kiss.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey everyone! Long time no see! I've been meaning to update this story for ages, but my computer has been broken and I just now got it fixed. So I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, and let my know what you think! Disclaimer blah blah blah. :)**

The next morning at the loft was an interesting one. Luckily, Raven did not unleash her wrath on Gar and he lived to see another day. However, at the breakfast table you could detect a burning fury behind her mysterious eyes. Wally and Artemis sat side by side. They were happily awkward, both blushing whenever they made eye contact or accidentally touched. Often times you could catch Kate staring dreamily off into space, occasionally her gaze drifted to Dick. She watched his face, his expression, the way he moved. Dick was consumed with his thoughts, each one rocketing around and bouncing off the walls of his cranium. Eliza still silently giggled at the image of the burly Vic wearing a gigantic lumpy sweater, and he was afraid of her thinking just that. All in all, the morning was filled uncomfortable tension, pregnant pauses, and forced small talk. Though, some among them were strangely content.

"So, erm, how 'bout them Mets?" Vic offered later that day. All the residents had congregated to the central area of the loft. Gar and Vic on the sofa, Raven silently reading a thick book in the corner, Kate and Dick on the bar stools, Artemis lounging on the floor lazily counting the fibers in the carpet, Eliza painting her nails in the easy chair, and Wally ransacking the refrigerator.

Most rolled their eyes at his lame attempt to strike up a conversation. They could hear Wally groan, "Oh, come on!", from the kitchen.

Rather than snap back at them all, Vic just sighed and sank farther into the back of couch. Eliza sent a look his way with a smile. He looked up at her and winked, Eliza giggled.

Just then Wally reentered the den with a sandwich in each hand ,and a large bag of pretzels hanging from between his teeth. He sat down next to the beautiful blonde, correction, _his _beautiful blonde. Wally let the bag drop from his mouth, where they landed on the floor beside him.

"Brought you some pretzels if you want them, babe." he said as he nudged the package towards her.

"Did I say you could call me that?" she said tersely. Her expression was hard, but her stormy eyes were soft and playful.

He grinned back at her and continued to eat his snacks.

"Duuude! Sooo bored!" whined Gar. He threw his head against the sofa cushions and slapped his hands over his eyes.

"Then why don't you come up with something, smart guy." sneered Dick from his seat.

Kate smiled softly to herself. She just couldn't help herself, she loved his lopsided smirk. It was just so...sexy.

Raven made a huffing noise under her breath and snapped the volume she had been reading shut. Every pair of eyes made their way to watch her.

Raven's eyes swept the room, taking in her friends. Well, almost her family in a way.

She wished everybody would just cut the crap so that it all would go back to how it was before, or at least move on from this unbearable state of awkward. Artemis and Wally needed to stop acting like eleven year olds and realize that they were in a real relationship. They should go out on dates, be more mature. She expected immaturity from Wally, but was appalled to see Artemis was no better. She must really have it bad. Kate and Dick needed to make out already, they were obviously crazy for each other. She didn't even want to get into Vic and Eliza's relationship... But what about Gar? She really liked him a lot more than she let on. The only reason she hadn't gone for the jugular last night was because of her feelings for him. She had some serious thinking to do. Raven realized that everyone's eyes were on her and she silently strode from the room.

Later that evening, Raven still hadn't exited her room. The sky outside was black with a downy coating of charcoal clouds across the apparently moonless night.

Eliza and Victor had disappeared to his bed room long ago, and Kate was in her room, claiming to want to do some reading before she turned in early for the night. Wally and Artemis were watching a movie, cuddled on the couch together under a large afghan. ( **A/N: Leave in the reviews, what movie do you think they are watching?)**

Gar sat at alone at the dining table, his head in his hands.

"What is wrong with me?" he muttered to himself, shaking his hung head.

Almost perfectly silent, Dick sat down at the chair right of his.

"Nothing is wrong with you." he said as he softly clapped his hand against Gar's shoulder.

"Yes there is." he moaned. Now he didn't even bother to hold his head up. He just let it thwap down onto the hard wood of the table. The resounding thud sounded quite loud and painful.

Dick waited a moment before softly asking, "Is this about Raven?"

Gar mumbled against the table, something that sounded like, "shmesh."

"I'll take that as a yes." Dick said with a chuckle.

Gar sighed and raised his head back up. There was a golf ball sized, cherry red, circle slap in the middle of his forehead.

Dick stifled his laughs and put on his most convincing poker pace. The corner of his lips twitched every now and then, threatening to slip.

"She is all I can think about! And then I just think about how I screwed it up!" He said, his voice breaking pitifully.

"She didn't murder you last night, that's got to mean something." Dick said, trying to keep the serious situation light. Truthfully, he had never seen the happy go lucky young man so depressed.

"Maybe...but still. I-I just don't know what to do." He whimpered. Dick though he saw a hint of moisture around his pal's emerald eyes.

"I think you should give her some space, make sure sure she is calm. Then you should talk to her."

"But...she is so intimidating and perfect...and I'm just me. What would I even talk about?"

"I can't help you there bro, that's your job." Dick said earnestly.

Gar smiled sadly up at him before he trudged away to his room.

Dick looked over to the sofa where the movie was finished. Artemis was gone and Dick saw Wally asleep on the air mattress. He chuckled, seeing that Wally had stolen Vic's sleeping area. Not that he would need it tonight, seeing as though he had taken up residence in Eliza's room.

He had just settled into the couch and closed his eyes when he heard an odd crinkling noise. Dick moved his head on the pillow and heard it again. He slipped his hand under the pillow and when he withdrew it, he held a small slip of paper between his fingers. His eyes widened a bit in curiosity. There was no writing on it, nothing at all. He was about to discard it and sleep when a familiar scent wafted under his nose. Dick lifted the paper up to his face and inhaled. It smelled exactly like her...

Without even consciously making the decision to move, he was on his feet and had walked until he found himself right in front of Kate's door.

Slowly, very slowly, he opened the door and slipped inside. There was no light in the room at all. Luckily he new his way around, seeing as though it was technically his room.

Just as he approached what he knew was the edge of the bed, he felt two strong yet delicate hands fist themselves tightly into the front of his shirt, dragging his body to her's.

He felt Kate sling her arms around his neck, one griping tightly into his hair. He wound his snugly around her slim waist .

Then, Kate brought her lips forcefully to his. It was like a shock of electricity right through him, and he moaned into the kiss. To the two of them it felt like they couldn't get close enough to each other. Every move, every touch was searing, searching, and eager. Their tongues met, and their hands roamed.

All too soon the kiss ended, both of them breathing heavily.

"You'd better get back in your bed. Don't want the others assuming the worst." Kate said, her voice slightly ragged and giddy.

"See you in the morning." Dick whispered, earning a light giggle from Kate.

He pulled her in for one last swift kiss before he exited the bedroom and found his way back to the couch.

**A/N: Next chapter will be all spitfire just FYI! Hoped you liked this chapter :)**


	7. Chapter 7

** A/N: Hello lovelies! Here is the next chapter, as promised, and I just wanted to say a special thank you to those who have read this, kept up with this, or reviewed. I love you all! Haha, well here is the spitfire chapter...yup...so many OTP's so little time. :) Disclaimer, and Enjoy!**

Several weeks into their relationship, all things were going very well between Artemis and Wally. They weren't overly flamboyant in front of their friends, and there were very few PDA's that occurred. However Artemis felt something...lacking from their relationship.

They were both sprawled out on top of Wally's bed, very comforable. She was curled into his chest, head against the crook of his shoulder, his arms wrapped securely around her.

Artemis sighed lightly to herself and she closed her eyes, causing Wally to peer down at her.

Wally poked his index finger against her ribcage, causing her to stir and a smile played around her lips.

"Babe, what are you thinking about?" he whispered in her ear, tickling the hairs around her neck.

"Just..." she began, not sure how to continue.

Wally sat bolt upright, his attention immediately caught.

"Is it something I did?" he worried anxiously.

"No...it's just..." she tried again, but he cut her off.

"Oh God, I did do something didn't I? You are breaking up with me, but...I can change, I swear! Anything for you babe, anything you want. Do I eat too much? I can diet! I can-" he carried on in a panic.

Artemis wasn't sure if she should be amused or try and soothe his stress.

"Wally!" she cut him off.

His eyes flashed up to her and focused on her face. He was about to open his mouth again, but she began to speak.

"Wally," she started. Placing a hand on his shoulder, "I'm _not_ breaking up with you." she finished with a sincere smile.

"But-" he began. But she silenced him with a kiss.

Her full, supple lips pressed themselves to his, and he kissed her back. It was sweet, it was gentle, and filled with love and compassion.

They pulled apart, Wally looking slightly dazed.

"What I was trying to say," Artemis said with a smirk, "was that I really like you. And I had gotten to thinking that we never really go out. You know, like on real dates. Sure we stay home and spend time together, and it's nice, but I think we should try something new."

At her words Wally smiled, and hugged her tightly. When he pulled back, Artemis left her hand resting on his chest, fingering the collar of his shirt, waiting for his answer.

"Anything for you, Blondie." he said, Artemis giggled.

Artemis felt so lucky to have found him, and she felt she didn't deserve someone so sweet. He always wanted her to be safe, he would do anything for her, and he could always make her laugh, even if she didn't like to admit that last one.

She stood up and began to walk towards the door. Just as she was about to exit, she turned around and said with a wink, "Tonight, eight o'clock, don't be late."

Wally leaned back into his bed, hands behind his head, smile wide across his face.

Later that night, all the girls were locked inside of Kate's...well, really Dick's...room, talking with Artemis and helping to get her ready for her date.

"Quit fussing! It's just a date, I don't need to be all glamorous. It's just a night out with Wally." Artemis said, swatting away the numerous makeup packages on the bed beside her.

"Correction! A night out with your boyfriend! Might as well show off the _ass_ets." said Eliza with a wink as she held up a short, tight, black skirt.

Artemis made a face, and Eliza rolled her eyes and put down the skirt.

"But you have a gorgeous body, why not show it off?" Kate said as she rolled on the bed like a cat.

Raven, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, scoffed at them.

"Because, she doesn't want to objectify herself." she said.

"It's not objectification! It's...sexyfication!" Eliza snapped back with a silky laugh.

Artemis and Kate clutched their stomachs and laughed as well. Raven just sighed.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to get a _little _dressed up..." Artemis thought out loud, her eyes wandering to the skirt on the floor.

"That's my girl!" Kate squealed as she squeezed Artemis' shoulders.

Twenty minutes later, Wally was pacing across the living room floor, waiting for his girlfriend to meet him so that they could leave.

He wore dark wash jeans, and a light blue button down shirt with the sleeves pushed halfway up his forearms. Wally looked down and checked his watch again.

When he looked up he saw Artemis walking towards him, and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head. His jaw fell a little slack, and she blushed, looking down at her feet.

She had made her shiny golden hair impeccably straight and it hung in a beautiful sheet down her back. She wore a snug V-neck, sleeveless, white blouse, and the skirt Eliza had picked out. On her feet she wore strappy black heels. Her figure was flawless and her skin was a perfect, smooth tan.

"How do I look?" she asked shyly.

Wally pulled her against him in a hug, and he kissed her cheek.

"Killer, babe." he said happily.

Artemis smiled, grabbing his hand, and pulled him towards the door.

They walked down the dark streets of Gotham, not even scared of the possible danger because they were together.

"So, what's on the agenda?" she inquired as they strolled hand in hand.

With a grin Wally raised his hand and pointed up the street towards a glowing building. Artemis squinted her eyes and looked closer. It was a beautiful, old movie theater.

"It's perfect." she said approvingly.

They bought their tickets and snacks, then quickly found seats towards the back of the theater.

The lights went dark and and the screen flashed huge letters, "_The Titanic"._

The two of them were leaned close together, blissfully happy in each others company.

About halfway through the film, Wally stole a glance at Artemis. Her eyes were fixed on the screen and she was smiling. He gently reached out his hand and touched his fingertips to the bottom of her chin. She turned her head to look at him, and he softly brought her face up to meet his. Needless to say, the second half of the movie went ignored by the two.

They exited the theater together, arm in arm. The light breeze was cool and it ruffled their hair.

"C'mon! Hurry!" Wally said tugging her hand with a boyish grin covering his face.

"Where are we going?" Artemis said in a slightly breathless voice as he dragged her up the street.

"You'll see." he said, quickening their pace.

Quickly they arrived in front of an old fashioned style ice cream shop.

"This place is adorable." Artemis said quietly. She hadn't meant for Wally to hear, but he did.

"Can I help you?" the woman behind counter asked sweetly.

Artemis ordered a plain vanilla and Wally ordered something with an absurdly long name. Though he made sure there were sprinkles, lots and lots of sprinkles.

They made their way to a brightly lit water fountain not far from the ice cream parlor. The two of them sat on the edge of the fountain, shoulders touching.

"I'm having a great time." Artemis said as she leaned more against him.

"I'm glad, me too." he replied.

"You've got ice cream on your face!" Artemis giggled at him.

"Where?" he asked, blindly wiping his hands around his face.

Artemis laughed, turning to him.

"Right here." she said as she kissed the ice cream from the corner of his mouth.

They sat in contentment for a moment, a comfortable silence filling the air between them.

"Do you hear that?" Wally whispered.

"Hear what?" the blonde replied.

"Shh. Listen."

They listened and heard music faintly playing. Although they couldn't tell where it came from, it grew slightly louder. It remained at a nice level, it's slow beat thrumming through the air.

Wally smirked to himself, setting down his ice cream and grabbing Artemis' wrist.

"May I have this dance?" He asked her.

Artemis blushed, but let him pull her up and twirl her around. Then he held her tight and they slowly swayed side to side.

Later they had walked home and were just approaching the door to the loft. Just as he was about to reach into his pocket to retrieve his keys, Artemis pressed her body against him, backing him against the door. She clutched at his jaw and kissed him fiercely. He instinctively put his palm to the small of her back, the other resting at the nape of her neck. Never had she kissed him like this. So full of passion, a throbbing heat. At this moment, pressed against the door, the two young lovers saw stars behind their closed eyes and felt things they had never experienced before. Artemis pulled away , gasping. Wally breathed heavily as well.

He pulled out his keys and opened the door, bringing the two of them into the loft.

They heard a rustling in the living room, and Artemis sighed sadly, being brought back to reality.

She reached up on her tip-toes and placed a kiss on the edge of his jaw. When she backed away, she reached out and rested her palm against Wally's cheek. He leaned his head into her touch and brought his hand up to cover hers. They stood for a moment, staring and smiling.

"Goodnight." she whispered.

"Sweet dreams." he replied.

He watched as Artemis walked down the hallway until she turned and entered her room.

Wally sighed dreamily and scratched the back of his neck. He made his way down the hall until he rounded the corner into the living room. He saw Dick waiting up for him, sitting on the couch.

"It went well?" Dick asked.

"Yeah...it did." Wally answered. "You go ahead and sleep, I'm going to go take a shower."

Dick heard Wally softly mutter to himself, "A cold shower. A very cold shower."

Wally shuffled off to the bathroom, not hearing Dick's silent laughter.


End file.
